Soul the Shark Boy
by transmuting
Summary: Maka Albarn has grown up in a small town as the girl with the drunken player of a father. When she meets Soul Evans, "The Shark Boy" in a circus freak show, she becomes somewhat infatuated with him. Running off to the circus might seem like a crazy idea, but it's definitely a dream she's always wanted to fulfill. Rated M for later chapters. SoMa AU.
1. Chapter 1

Maka had always been fascinated by the circus. She liked the acrobats and the animals, the fire breathers and people on stilts. She liked the rushing sounds of the rides and she loved the cotton candy and caramel apples. She'd always gotten so excited, ever since she was a little girl, any time the circus came into town. She'd bounce around the house, waiting for her father to agree to take her for the day, and she'd run off the moment she set foot on the grounds. He seemed perfectly set on letting her take care of herself each time, given that she never got herself lost or hurt, and always came back to check in throughout the day. It left him more time to flirt, she imagined, and she'd rather not be anywhere near that if she had a choice in the matter.

She'd fallen even more in love with the circus after the divorce. Not many kids her age had divorced parents and it made her feel like a bit of an enigma. Her mother had left so long ago, she almost couldn't remember her face sometimes. It left her lonely and unsure of the world, though she kept a stiff upper lip and never admitted to it. Each time she came to the circus after that event in her life, she always sat and wondered what she'd have to do to get them to take her with them. People ran off with the circus all the time, didn't they? All the girls and boys who were unhappy with their lives as they were, ready to start a new one on the road.

This time at the circus was only different in the sense that, once free of her overbearing Papa, she had intended on meeting up with a boy from the farm up the road. She'd never really made any friends and so it was shocking to her when he'd said that he wanted to accompany her, unsupervised, and go on all the rides and play all the games with her. Maybe even win her a stuffed animal, he'd said. They'd made plans to meet by the cotton candy and so that was where she'd waited for one Ox Ford.

And waited.

And waited some more.

It wasn't until about half an hour of waiting that she realized what had happened. She'd been completely stood up. Made a fool of, really. That's what people like to do in this town. The loser daughter of a drunken player wasn't someone people wanted to go on dates with. She was the type of person they liked to make feel included only to shove to the sidelines and watch her break for their own amusement. She had had it happen plenty of times before and now... now was no different. She felt like an idiot for having believed it could ever be otherwise.

Cursing the boys name under her breath, she decided to make the best of the time she had left on the grounds. She'd attended this circus plenty of times alone, there was no reason she couldn't yet again. As she made her way into the tent of freaks, her eyes almost longingly looked at the various displays of people - ladies with beards, men much taller than any she'd ever seen, children with legs that looked like elephants feet. She didn't have any sort of special quality (unless unusually flat chested after puberty counted and she highly doubted it did) and nothing about her ever stuck out. She had no means to run off in the circus, no way to get them to take her because she was plain and ordinary and boring.

"Hey, chin up, girly."

She jumped a little at the deep voice that rang out from behind a set of bars. It was a nice, smooth sound, like the jazz she heard played on the radio sometimes. Deep and comforting. She stared up at a pair of red eyes with white spikes of hair messed slightly in front of them. A pair of gleaming, sharp teeth accompanied the amused grin on this otherwise scrawny looking boys face. He chuckled a little as she took a step back and tilted his head.

"Why so glum, huh? I thought you townies felt better about yourselves around freaks like us."

Maka's eyes flicked to his display sign. Soul the Shark Boy. How very apt. His teeth reminded her exactly of that, only less jagged. Smooth. Like a shark who brushed his teeth and flossed after every meal.

"Not all of us think you're freaks, I guess," she said finally. Her hand went to wrap around a bar of his cage and she pushed herself up a bit on her toes. "Why are you locked up when others aren't?"

"Add an element of danger, I guess. Don't get to close - I might bite off a finger, you know. Shark's get hungry for human flesh sometimes." It was all said with that same light hearted tone, one that made her feel comforted and warm rather than afraid for her own life. She giggled a little, a noise that seemed to satisfy the young boy in the cage. "That's a little better." He waved her on forward, pointing toward the exit.

"That quick to want to get rid of me?" She tried to sound only mockingly offended, but she wondered why not even the circus folk wanted to interact with her for more than a few minutes. Maybe she was just that uninteresting.

"Don't be so self-conscious," he said with a snort. "I'm just not supposed to talk to the townies when I'm performing." He said the last word with as much flare as possible, waving his hands about a little for added effect. "I'll get in trouble if you stick around too much. Unless you're screaming and fainting from fear of the incredibly intimidating Shark Boy."

"I don't think even I'm that good an actor."

He smiled a little, going to stick a scrawny arm through the gap in the bars and give her pigtail a small yank. "If you're that interested in talking more, come back to the edge of the tents when the circus is over. I'm sure a girl like you can be sneaky enough." He noted the prying eyes of the Hairiest Man from a few displays down and gave her nose a flick. "Now get out of here before I get in trouble. I've got a job to keep."

Maka bit her lip, smiling and nodding. As she ran out of the rest of the tent, she couldn't help but feel a weight lifted off of her heart. There was something about the boy that just kept her at ease. She was going to have to find a way to sneak away from her Papa, because there was no way she was turning down his invitation to get to know him a little bit better after hours. No way in hell.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun had been set for some time when Maka finally made her way onto the grounds of the circus again. She'd pulled on a button up sweater before leaving the house and was holding it tightly around her, but still her teeth chatter a little whenever the wind blew too strongly. She couldn't help but think about how terrifying circuses looked when there weren't any people around, and although she knew that the workers were in their tents, eating their dinners and getting ready for bed, there was an abandoned feeling to the place now that just made her feel entirely too uneasy. There's a thought of turning around and running back home when she hears approaching footsteps and a surprised laugh.

"You actually came," Soul called out as he came closer. The moon was shining brightly enough that it seemed to reflect off of the head of pure white hair and she could make out a flash of the mouth full of canines as he grinned at her. "I thought you might've chickened out."

"Maka Albarn is no chicken, thank you very much," she said with a dignified and slightly insulted tone. She liked to think herself brave, even. Adventurous. Though that could have just been her own ego getting in the way of seeing herself as she truly was.

The statement earned another soft chuckle, and when he was close enough, he reached out a hand to toy with the end of her pigtail as he had done earlier from behind cage bars. "So I'm seeing," he muttered under his breath, a soft and affectionate tone coating the words. It made Maka's heart flutter a bit in her chest and she wondered when she had turned into such a damn girl.

Batting his hand away from her hair, she gave a small scoffing noise that echoed louder than she expected it to in the empty grounds. "What made you think I wouldn't show? Besides my being a 'chicken'."

Soul shrugged his shoulders lazily, glancing away from her, his face unreadable. She was usually so good at telling what people were thinking and feeling, it was so strange to not be able to get into this boys head, too. "Sometimes townies just come to their senses when they leave the grounds. Realize they were trying to make friends with a freak and decide better of it."

Maka frowned, going to shove his shoulder more roughly than she'd intended. She didn't bother apologizing though, simply crossing her arms and giving him a stern look. "I told you already - not all of us think you're freaks, alright? Stop lumping me in with the rest of those morons you meet on the road."

A soft smirk toyed at the edge of his lips. She stared at him in confusion for a second, wondering what about her 'lecture' of sorts had been so funny, but before she could ask, he'd reached out and grabbed her hand in his. Tugging gently, he began to move a bit deeper into the camp grounds.

"Come on, I'll show you my trailer. Got one all to myself because I'm a big star like that." The tone he used was almost mocking, though of whom Maka wasn't entirely sure. He seemed to find himself funny enough and she was sure that she'd find out what it was all in reference to in time; if she was supposed to.

She found the touch of his hand against hers nice; warm and comforting in a way she hadn't expected. He seemed so cold and cut off in his demeanor that she had somehow expected his entire being to be rigid. His arm hung lazily behind him though, grip barely tight on her, and there was a certain relaxed air to him that felt so natural. She smiled a little, staring down at their linked fingers as they went, trusting him to guide her well enough.

"Here we are," he chirped up, going to let go of her hand and leaving her with an empty feeling in her stomach at the loss of contact. It was as though a connection had been forming where their skin met and it was just suddenly... gone. She shook the feeling from her mind, looking up at him as he pushed the door open, grinning down at her and beckoning for her to follow. She was careful to keep her balance on the uneven stairs that rested on the rocks and grass, gripping onto the doorway as she finally made her way through the landing.

Looking around, his trailer was almost exactly as she would have imagined it to be had she stopped to think about what it would be like on their way here. Messy, but not over the top; some dirty clothes were strewn on the floor, but the red carpeting was still very much visible. He had posters of various films on his walls and a guitar was leaning against the wall in the corner. Of course he played the guitar. He seemed like the guitar type. He had a pile of magazines in a half-opened drawer - one that was quickly slammed shut the moment her noticed and she couldn't help but become ever curious about what it was he was hiding from her. She pushed it from her mind to take in the rest of her surroundings, though, too curious to get to know his decoration inclinations. There was a ragged couch pushed up against one wall near the corner and a small table with playing cards scattered over the top. A helping of chips and cookies kept in bags was lined up along the floor and there was a laundry basket filled with what she assumed was the clean clothes he had yet to wear for the week.

"The couch pulls out into a bed, so I've actually got on to sleep on. Better than the collapsable bunks they've got for the main tent or sleeping on a cot. It's not much, but... it's home." He rubbed the back of his head with his hand, messing up the white layers a little further as he did so. "I'm lucky to have my own space in a place like this."

"So not everyone gets their own trailers?" Maka tore her eyes away from her surroundings finally, locking gazes with Soul and giving a small smirk. "What makes you so special?"

He lifted his finger to her lips, shaking his head. "It's a secret. Sorry, Townie."

"It's - it's Maka," she stuttered out in a slightly embarrassed tone, not sure why she couldn't just accept the nickname. A part of her didn't want to be thought of as a 'townie.' She wanted to be part of his world so badly and the label kept her far apart from it. She tried to fight away the pink that had started to tinge her cheeks and quickly went to take a seat on the moth eaten sofa bed. "So how did you end up in the circus, anyway?"

The way he stiffened at first made her realize it may have been a bit of an intrusive question. She doesn't take it back, her curiosity winning over her manners, and she instead watches him, waiting to see if he'll actually answer. He gave a roll of his shoulders, going to snatch one of the chip bags from the ground and popping it open. He shoved a couple into his mouth, chewing in what she assumed was supposed to be a thoughtful manner, but really just seemed like severe stalling.

Swallowing, he gave a non-committed shrug. "You know. Typical case; unhappy, rebellious teen boy who hated his parents. I ran away, I found the circus, and Stein - he's the guy who owns the thing - was kind enough to give me a spot in the freak show. Said my good looks mixed with the oddity would attract a nice crowd of ladies." He went to take a seat next to her on the couch, leaning back and popping some more chips into his mouth. There was another long, expectant pause as he finished eating his food. "I hope you weren't expecting details. It's a little soon for life stories."

She laughed a little, shrugging herself this time. "I guess I just hoped for some kind of insight. Maybe a hint as to how somebody joined up in something like this."

Soul smirked softly, eyeing her out of the corner of his eyes. "Interested in joining the show, Miss Albarn? Townie no more?"

Maka tried her best to not look embarrassed, shifting in her place on the couch slightly and looking down at her clasped hands in her lap. Was it really such a ridiculous idea? She'd always fancied it a logical one. Where else did people run away to? She wasn't sure she would be very good in a factory and she was the wrong sex to join the army. She frowned a little, failing to keep her disappointment hidden.

"Hey, I was serious," he said, turning in his seat so he could face her more. His hand moved to cup her chin, tilting her face back to him so he could look her in the eye. "If you're really interested, come back tomorrow. I'll introduce you to Stein and we can take it from there, alright?"

Her eyes widened with hope and she reached out to take his other hand in her own. "Really?" She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. "You'd do that for me? But you barely even know me..."

Soul shrugged, managing to keep that cool demeanor even in the face of overwhelming gratitude. "It's not a big deal, Townie. We all start out in the same boat. It's not up to me whether or not you get brought on - but I can get your foot in the door." His face took on more serious tone after that note, looking at her sternly. "You gotta be sure this is what you want, though, alright? It's not some cake walk. It's not an adventure story. It's a job and you'll be expected to do whatever you're assigned without complaint. It's long days of travel, killer days at work, and people treating you like garbage most of the time without even knowing you. You won't see your family for months at a time, if you see them at all. You sure you're ready for that kind of life?"

Maka was quiet a moment. While getting away from her papa was high on the list of things that appealed her about the circus, the thought of really leaving, of abandoning him like that, was surprisingly hard to swallow. Still, she finally nodded, looking into Soul's eyes with a confidence that surprised even herself. "I'm sure."

He smiled again, letting go of her hand so he could pat her leg. He pulled himself up off the couch, moving to the door, and pulling it open. "Then go pack a bag. Say goodbye to your parents whether you want to or not - trust me. It'll plague you if you don't. Come back in the morning and I'll see what I can do for you, alright?" His expression softened as she came near, a deep affection lingering there that was strange to see after only knowing him less than a day. "It'll be nice to have a newbie around to tease the shit out of."

He gave her a small shove out the trailer, standing in the doorway as she somehow managed to keep her balance down the stairs. She turned to look at him, grinning broadly. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. I'll be so convincing, there's no way Stein'll say no to me!"

Soul chuckled, shaking his head and giving her a small salute. "Just make sure to do what I told you to. G'night, Townie."

"Goodnight, Soul." She bit her lip to try and contain her excitement, turning on her heal and making a run for the edge of the grounds, and sprinting towards home. There was an excitement in her veins, mixed with the slightest guilt that she tried to ignore. It seemed like for once her dreams of leaving this small town were finally coming true.


	3. Chapter 3

Maka had successfully managed to quietly sneak into the house and get to her room without being noticed. Her father had been enjoying the newest story on the radio with a glass of whiskey in one hand and his feet propped up on the living room table. He was only really half paying attention, his eye lids drooping now and then. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she closed her bedroom door behind her with as soft a click as she could manage. It was the typical sight to come back to; Spirit had become completely useless since his wife had left him and no one was more aware of it than his daughter.

She grabbed her leather satchel from her closet, going to quickly grab together as many of her clothes as she was sure could fit in it. She was a tiny thing, really, and it made it easier to stuff dresses and jeans and various outfits into the bag than she'd expected it. She didn't own much, but with the couple of books she'd tried to squeeze in amongst the outfits, she still ended up barely being able to latch the bag close and she sighed heavily as she picked it up to try and test its weight. It would definitely cause an ache in her shoulder when she carried it to the grounds, but she was sure it would be worth it in the end. If she got her own trailer like Soul did, maybe she'd never have to carry a bag again. A smile graced her lips as she thought of all the things she might be able to do; maybe she'd learned trapeze and get to be part of the main act. Maybe she could ride an elephant or tame a lion or do a show with white horses and a fabulous dress made of sparkling fabric and sequence. All of it could be a possibility thanks to the help of the strange boy with white hair and a smile like a sharks.

Maka could still hear the advice he'd given her playing in her head like a broken record. She didn't want to discuss her decision with her father. She wanted to leave a note at most and rush out of their without another thought. Her mother had left in a similar fashion, she didn't understand why she couldn't do the same. He should have been expecting it, even, with how his behavior had gone.

"Makaaaaaa?" The long drawl came from the living room, interrupting her thoughts. It was almost like he'd been able to hear her contemplation of sneaking out in the night. She listened as staggered footsteps made their way down the short call, soon followed by a small thud as his body slumped against her door. "Maka, baby, are you in there? Didn't hear you come in. There's some dinner on the counter for you. It's probably still hot and everything!" His words were luckily not slurring together, which meant he wasn't nearly as drunk as he could have been. Maybe he was mostly just tired and the whiskey was making him dizzier than usual because of it.

"I'm fine, Papa," she grumbled, going to stuff her bag under her bed before he could open the door and see her packed. "I had some popcorn at the circus. It was really filling."

As she expected, her knob turned without him asking permission and he pushed the door open, staring at her in a stern way he often did when he was pretending he could still be a decent authority figure. "You need more than just junk food in your diet. You should go eat that meal, it took a lot of effort to make and -"

"Your most recent girlfriend will probably not have her feelings hurt if I don't eat her cold leftovers." There was no way he'd actually cooked. She was convinced he probably didn't even know how. It made her heart drop a bit into her stomach. He couldn't clean, either, and he didn't always have someone around to do it for him. Who was going to take care of him while she was gone? She turned her eyes up to him after a moment, staring at him in thought. He was just a big baby in a lot of ways. Always needing someone around to make sure he didn't drink himself to death, always having to have a person their to keep his house and cook his meals. He was a loser in every meaning of the word and it weighed on her constantly. Maybe it was just his depression from fucking up his own life, or maybe he was just really that immature an adult, but no matter the reason, he was her father and he would suffer if she left him like this.

She couldn't be thinking of him anymore, though. She needed to put herself first. Her dreams, her desires - her own well being. She was his daughter. He was meant to be the caregiver.

"Papa, we need to talk." She went to move past him, taking his hand so she could drag him out of her room and go towards the kitchen. It wasn't the sort of discussion she wanted to feel cornered during, and she maybe she could make him some sort of snack to try and soak up the alcohol in his stomach so he'd at least pay a little more attention. He followed obediently, just seeming to be happy getting to hold her hand given the way he hummed as they walked down the hallway. She was quick to let go of him once she got near the table, motioning for him to have a seat before moving to make some toast. "Are you listening?"

"Mmm, all ears, baby girl," he grumbled sleepily, and she noted the sound of a light thud as he rested his head against the table top.

She wasn't really sure where to start with all this. She didn't want to just blurt out that she was leaving. Spirit was known for being a delicate man and as much as she may have boasted that she hated him or didn't care about his feelings, she didn't like the thought of just breaking his heart and walking out the door. She had to find a way to make this more about improving their relationship. Trying to find herself. Exploring the world. Things he could understand and maybe not take so personally. She was quiet as she focused on preparing the pan, cutting the bread, and buttering each side as she waited for the metal to heat up.

"What are you going to do when I leave for school, Papa? How are you going to take care of yourself?"

He grumbled into the table rather than looking up at her, making his words feel that much more slurred together. "I'mma grown man, honey. Your papa can take care of himself just fine, you'll see."

She rolled her eyes, biting back a few insults towards him that wouldn't help the situation. She placed the piece of bread onto the stove, the sizzling of cooking oils filling the kitchen as the butter began to brown on contact. "You can't even cook for yourself. Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical."

"I've got a few years to learn. You're not ready for college just yet, Maka." He sounded almost like he was trying to convince himself more, and she chose to say nothing once again, instead lifting the toast up to see if it was ready to be flipped. She let it fall back into the pan since it had barely been even a second and sighed.

She waited long enough to speak again that both sides had equally browned and she'd put them on a plate for her father, setting it down in front of him. He didn't even lift his head to nibble at the toast, though she didn't take it too personally. He probably didn't even notice that it was there yet.

"What if I left sooner? What would you do then? Who's going to do your laundry or clean up the house at the end of the day? Who's going to go and fish you out of the bar or talk another angry farmer out of getting you thrown in jail for trampling in their fields and ruining their crop beds? I'm always taking care of you, Papa, and I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. You don't even know how much trouble you are, do you?" She had let her voice get more rushed, more heated with each word, and she stopped to take a breath as she waited for him to respond. There was nothing but silence and she let out a huff of frustration at it. "Papa? Papa, I thought you were listening."

She was given the response of a loud snore.

"... Great."

Shaking her head, Maka went over to his side of the table, slipping one of his arms around him and going to pick him up out of the chair. He grumbled sleepily, waking up enough to at least help her guide him out of the kitchen and back towards his room. She didn't bother undressing him or getting him under the covers, simply letting him fall into his pillows and go right back to sleep. She sighed as she stared at him, going to brush some of the red hair out of his face. He looked a lot less like a pain in the ass when he was sleeping. It almost made her think she might miss him, if the frustration of being ignored hadn't still been so fresh.

She didn't bother to clean up the dishes, instead heading back to her room to finish packing her things. She'd tried to do what Soul asked her. It wasn't her fault it had gone wrong, right? Sure, she could wait and do it again in the morning, but she really could only handle so much talk with him. She filled up her satchel with the rest of her things, mulling over how she wanted to break things to him in her mind the entire time. She would let herself sleep on it. She'd write him a letter in the morning, leave long before he was awake. If she made it to the circus by dawn, she was sure that everyone would be up, but not busy enough yet to be able to brush her off and not talk to her.

A letter would do just fine. Her Papa could deal with a letter. She'd tell him she loved him, that she would write to him, and she'd see him in a year. It wouldn't be so bad. Sure she had a fool proof plan, Maka climbed into her pajamas and crawled under her own covers. She set her alarm, burying her face into the pillow, and let herself fall asleep to dream of large trucks, white horses, and a boy with teeth like a sharks.


End file.
